Relief Fragment with Yakshas and Kneeling Donors

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Relief Fragment with Yakshas and Kneeling Donors

Place of OriginIndia, possibly Andhra Pradesh

Dateabout 230 BCE- 220 CE

DimensionsL: 7 3/8 in. (18.7 cm); W: 5 1/2 in. (14 cm); H: 10 in. (25.4 cm)

MediumCarved stone with stand.

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of the Popplestone Family

Object number

2006.138

Not on View

DescriptionA rectangular high-relief stone fragment depicting four figures arranged in two registers. The upper register features the lower bodies of two standing figures: on the left, a figure wears a dhoti secured by a thick, looped sash and stands with weight on the left leg; on the right, a figure wears a similar garment and anklets. In the lower register, two smaller figures kneel in profile facing left, their hands raised in anjali mudra (gesture of adoration). To the upper right, a partial hand from a much larger missing figure is visible, holding a rosette attribute. The relief is deeply carved with noticeable hierarchy of scale between the donor figures and the attendants.

Label TextOnce part of a larger sculpture, two bejeweled fertility spirits, called yakshas, stand over two kneeling donors. The sculpture was probably an offering made to a Buddhist monastery during the 2nd century, under Andhran rule and patronage.